The invention relates to a system for destroying documents that have already been shredded by a document shredder.
In larger or office buildings there is a need for a plurality of office staff to have documents of critical relevance destroyed after having been read or after their use. Usually single document shredders are distributed in a building or provided in every room for documents to be shredded. The shredded documents are then collected and removed for example, by cleaning personnel. This gives the problem that the shredded documents could be put back together and their content read. Furthermore, such a system is not regarded as secure as it is not known what the cleaning personnel is doing with shredded documents.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for destroying documents that have been shredded by at least one document shredder wherein shredded documents are being destroyed securely and no remains are left.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for destroying documents that is fit to be built in larger buildings.
According to the invention, the system includes central collecting means for shredded documents. Such central collecting means could be a pipe system or the like. Burning means are arranged together with the collecting means. This can be done in such a way that the collecting means lead to the burning means. The burning means can have one burning chamber or a number of burning chambers for burning shredded documents. The burning chamber again is connected with outlet means for the remains, or ash, of said shredded and burned documents.
Such a system provides a secure way for collecting shredded documents in that the documents are collected centrally, and then burned. As the documents are usually made of paper, they can easily be burned. Other forms of documents, such as CD""s or floppy disks, can also be burned. From burned documents it is impossible to retrieve any information about their former content. Thus this method is a secure way for destroying documents even after shredding has already been provided.
According to one embodiment of the invention the burning means and the burning chamber can be adapted for burning shredded documents in a continuous process. This means that the shredded documents are being burned when they pass through the burning chamber. Such a continuous process, particularly for larger systems with a number of document shredders, allows the shredded documents to keep coming as they are being shredded. Thus the burning of shredded documents can not only be continuous, but also with no delay between shredding and burning.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the burning means and the burning chamber are adapted for burning shredded documents in a non-continuous process, for example step-wise. This means that shredded documents can be collected to a certain amount or for a certain period of time and then burning is started. Collecting of shredded documents can be at any convenient place. For example, they are collected in the burning chamber itself. During such a collecting period burning should be stopped. Such a system is especially advantageous if the number of shredded documents is not so great or if they are not supplied continuously.
The burning chamber can be an enlongated channel. This provides a certain distance for shredded documents to pass through the burning chamber for better, more efficient, secure and complete burning. The burning chamber can, for example, be in the form of a pipe or the like.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the burning chamber can be equipped with burners. The burners can be gas burners. They can produce flames reaching into the burning chamber. The burning shredded documents can then be collected in or pass through the burning chamber. Gas burners are efficient and can be started easily and quickly. Of course other kinds of burners can be used within the scope of the invention.
It is also possible to heat the burning chamber where its insides are free of flames. Such a heating means can be installed in the burning chamber itself or surrounding the burning chamber. This method with an embodiment of a burning chamber being free of heating means or the like on the inside the system is very simple and secure in operation. Heating means, especially for arranging on the outside of the burning chamber and heating the burning chamber on the inside, can also incorporate electric heaters. Such electric heaters reduce the risk of explosions or fires by hazardous fuels.
The burning chamber can be connected with an exhaust system. Preferably the outlet means of the burning chamber can be connected with such an exhaust system.
Furthermore, the system or the outlet means can be connected to a separator filter. Such a filter or filter unit is preferably used for cleaning the exhaust air. According to one possible embodiment of the invention, the filter can be a fine filter unit.
The collecting means may include a vacuum stage and a pipe system. The pipe system is connected to a number of document shredders. The vacuum stage is adapted for transporting or guiding shredded documents from the document shredders to the collecting means or the burner.
Such a vacuum stage can be positioned after the burning means in the way shredded documents are taking after shredding. By this a vacuum stage can also be adapted for transporting remains of shredded documents leaving the burning chamber further along the system.